


The Nightmare is Over

by EclecticIsMyMiddleName



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU where Ian doesn't die because Rico saved him, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Humor, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Nightmares, Short One Shot, Some Humor, also they're married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 03:56:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13942068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclecticIsMyMiddleName/pseuds/EclecticIsMyMiddleName
Summary: Rico finds her sleep disturbed by her husband's nightmares and has to comfort him.





	The Nightmare is Over

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThePrincessDiamond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrincessDiamond/gifts).



Rico opened her eyes as the bed springs beneath her creaked loud enough to wake the dead. She looked over her shoulder and saw her husband had rolled over again.

 _This is the third time in half an hour,_ she grumbled in her head. _It's a wonder he hasn't woken himself up yet._

Her husband mumbled something and shifted again. Rico raised her hand, about to smack his arm hard enough to wake him, when he whimpered in his sleep. Tensing, Rico waited, straining her ears for any other sounds from him.

She didn't have to wait long. Another second passed and he groaned. Rolling onto her other side, Rico got a better look at her husband's face. Her chest tightened and she frowned when she saw his brow was furrowed and his mouth was pulled into a grimace. When she brushed her fingers against his brow to clear a lock of his hair from his face, his skin felt hot and sweaty.

"Ian?" she said softly. "Wake up, dear."

"No, n-no," he mumbled, squeezing his eyes tighter and turning his head away from her touch. "S-Stop."

"Ian?" Rico repeated, raising her voice a little. She squeezed his shoulder hard and shook it to wake him.

"Stop! No!" Ian shouted, sitting bolt upright. "Don't-" Panting heavily, he looked around with wide eyes. He froze when he saw his wife laying beside him, concern wrinkling her brow.

"Are you okay?" Rico asked as she sat up and placed a hand on his back. "Was it a nightmare?" He nodded and hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It was so real," he muttered. "I was about to-" He swallowed hard. "-to die and th-then you saved me."

Rico's stomach twisted as she remembered the day Ian almost died. In the closing jaws of a titan, Ian had been pushing up against the roof of its mouth to stay alive. Rico had seen how his arms were shaking beneath the force it took to keep those jaws from clamping shut. Acting on instinct, Rico had sliced her blades through the monster's neck in the blink of an eye. She could still hear the way Ian said her name as she pulled him out of the fallen titan's mouth to safety. He had said her name with a mixture of fear and awe. He later told her that it was in that moment that he knew he wanted to marry her after this war was over.

"Shh, don't think about it now," she shushed, leaning against his arm and slinging her arm around his waist. "It was only a nightmare."

"But-"

"Don't talk about it," she snapped, a little harsher than she meant. Softening her tone, she added, "Just lay back down and try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay," he replied, so quietly that Rico barely heard him. She helped him lay back down and he wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her neck and sighed. Rico wasn't sure if it was minutes or seconds later, but she felt Ian tense in her embrace. His breath hitched and his shoulders shook as he tried to muffle the sobs that followed.

Rico stroked his hair with one hand as she felt wet tears slip down her collarbone. "I'm here, Ian. The nightmare is over, okay?"

Tightening his arms around her, he swallowed thickly and said, "But it was like I was there again. Titans everywhere...people dying...our _friends_ dying..." He sobbed and winced at the sound. "I thought I was a goner when the titan pushed me into its mouth-"

"Hey, hey, calm down," she interrupted, blinking against the tears pooling in her eyes. She had to stay strong for him right now. "They can't hurt you anymore. The titans are gone from Paradis, remember?"

He sniffled and took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for how you feel," Rico replied, untangling herself enough from him to lock her eyes with his. Her heart sank at the red lining his eyes and she cupped his cheek. Her thumb brushed against his sharp cheekbone as she added, "I don't expect you to deny your feelings." She rested her forehead against his. "You have every right to be upset about what happened. You almost died for God's sake. But please-" She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "-rest for now. God knows we both need it."

Ian brought his lips to hers and tangled his fingers in her hair. He squeezed his eyes shut as he kissed her hard. When he broke the kiss, he mumbled, "God, I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, feeling her eyes sting with building tears. Ian swiped them away with his thumb as they slipped down her cheeks.

"C'mere," he said, pulling her against his body and guiding her head to rest in the crook of his neck. Her hands splayed across his shoulder blades as she breathed in his scent. "It's alright, dear. Let's get some rest, okay?"

Rico wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but when morning came, she squinted against the sunlight streaming in through the window. Laying on her side, she regretted choosing the side of the bed closest to the window. Sunlight threatened to blind her when she tried to open her eyes further. Her eyelids felt sore and heavy, and rubbed them with the heel of her hand. When she tried to reach for her glasses, she felt her husband's arm around her waist, weighing her down. Unable to stop the smile tugging at her lips, she decided to forgo putting on her glasses. She leaned back against Ian and her smile widened as he pulled her closer.

"Mornin'," he mumbled, his voice rough from sleep.

"Morning."

"Sleep well?" he asked, smiling as Rico interlaced her fingers with his.

"Yes. You?" she replied, looking over her shoulder at him.

He gazed at her through half-lidded eyes and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Thanks to you."

She blushed at the praise and turned her head away so he wouldn't see. Closing her eyes, she sighed through her nose and relaxed into the bed. After a few minutes, she felt Ian's leg brush her's and felt something hard press up against her backside.

"Please put your penis away," she deadpanned.

"You're not sleeping anyway," he pointed out. "If you aren't gonna sleep..."

Rico smirked and pushed her hips back against him just to hear his breath hitch.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a twitter if you wanna go follow me there! :)  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/EclecticWrites   
> My handle is @EclecticWrites.


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